What to Watch This Weekend: Halloween Horror (Possessor, The Cleansing Hour, Blumhouse Movies, Do Not Reply), Once Upon a River, Charm City Kings, Ghostwriter, The Tax Collector

For Horror Fans Looking For A Change of Face - Possessor (Theaters)

Possessor will take control of you and not let go, as it pulls you into this violent, near future story with great acting, realistic effects, and a brutal story.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Ridding Themselves of Inner Demons - The Cleansing Hour (Shudder)

The Cleansing Hour will possess your eyeballs with its entertaining social media exorcism premise, fantastic special effects, and spirited, spiritual performances.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Looking for a Virtual Trip - Black Box (Amazon)

Black Box takes you on a technological deep dive with strong characters led by the amazing Mamoudou Athie, an intriguing story, and a mental mystery that will keep you guessing.  For more information, check out our review!

For Horror Fans Obsessed With Social Media - Do Not Reply (Digital)

The unsettlingly perfect sets, convincing acting, and brutal and tense scenarios make Do Not Reply one movie you should swipe right on.  For more information, check out our review!  

For Horror Fans Keeping a Secret - The Lie (Amazon)

The Lie is a suspenseful deception film with stellar acting, a simple setup, and a meaningful ending that elevates the entire experience.  For more information, check out our review!

For Adventure Seekers - Once Upon a River (Virtual Cinema)

Once Upon A River is a beautiful coming of age film with wonderful cinematography and sound, a nuanced strong female lead, and a story with great pace and flow.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Thrill Seekers - Charm City Kings (HBO Max)

Charm City Kings has a commitment to authenticity that should be applauded, as well as fantastic performances from an all black cast, telling a story that has humor, emotion, and important lessons.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Kids - Ghostwriter Season 2 (Apple TV+)

Ghostwriter Season 2 continues the story of this wonderfully diverse, entertaining, and educational show with adventures that literally make stories come alive.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Ruthless Family Members - The Tax Collector (Redbox and Digital)

The Tax Collector has some intense characters--headlined by a transofmred Shia LaBeouf--in this ruthless story about family and power.  For more information, check out our review!

The Tax Collector Review: Shia LaBeaouf And The Power Of Family

Release date: August 7, 2020
Running time: 95 minutes
Starring: Bobby Soto, Cinthya Carmona, Shia LaBeouf 

David (Soto) along with his friend / bodyguard Creeper (LaBeouf) are "tax collectors" for a crime lord.  However, when an old rival for the crime lord shows up, David finds that his family's safety is compromised.  How he overcomes this situation will not only reverberate with him and his family, but with the entire power structure in South Central LA. 

The most intriguing part of The Tax Collector is the reemergence of Shia LaBeouf.  He completely transforms for this role, turning into a heartless, fearless, ruthless killer who also has intense loyalty for David.  It is great to see him back in movies and I really liked his character, despite it being slightly one dimensional.  He was a nice foil for David, who was also ruthless but had more heart.  The two play off each other well and it is fun to see David rein in Creeper's more outgoing and impulsive personality.  Together the two have a really fun dynamic.  They work well together collecting "taxes" but also have some funny personal interactions.  And LaBeaouf is at his best when he is playing the crazy part of his character.  He says some very funny things when he is getting riled up.  

The Tax Collector is very much a crime thriller and less of an action movie.  The film spends a lot of time establishing the characters and their relationships; any action in the film occurs much later.  And once the action gets started, the film has a tendency to simply focus on a character or two with everyone else remaining absent.  It was sad because the movie spent so much time establishing a host of characters and family structure only for it to disappear when things got hairy.  And although the dialogue is generally enjoyable, some of the lines seem forced.  Some of the characters do not naturally come off as thugs and enforcers, which makes the times that they are called on to play that role seem not genuine.  And finally, the film tries to throw in a twist at the end but it really just makes the ending feel unfulfilling.  However, the movie itself sets a solid foundation and has enough interesting interactions to be an enjoyable crime thriller. 

The Tax Collector has some intense characters--headlined by a transofmred Shia LaBeouf--in this ruthless story about family and power. 

Rent it.

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